Contest to lure businesses downtown

A day spa, a cosmetics and perfume shop, or maybe an ethnic bread bakery.

One of these concepts may survive a contest to reward an entrepreneur with $65,000 in goods and services toward opening a shop in downtown Harrisburg.

The contest is another way the city's downtown revitalization groups have been trying to build up retail activity. In 2001, the groups poured $450,000 into developing the retail corridor, Shops on 3rd. This year, the city and the Downtown Improvement

District Authority moved the outdoor street fair, which was called PNC First Fridays, to Saturdays to encourage people to come downtown and shop on weekends.

Attracting retailers into the city …